Having achieved Enviromark Bronze in 2006 and then ACC WSMP (Workplace Safety Management Practices) to secondary level in 2008 the decision for 3R Group Ltd to gain registration to ISO14001 was considered a natural progression for the Company. 

Hawke’s Bay based 3R Group design, implement and manage Product Stewardship programmes in New Zealand.  Resene PaintWise and Agrecovery are two good examples where 3R have worked with clients to find a sustainable solution to problem industry waste streams.  3R not only define the problem and design a solution, but also manage the programmes operationally for their clients.

Both of the Agrecovery and Resene PaintWise programmes have received international recognition for their design and operation.  This recognition is one of thereasons 3R looked to align the business with an internationally recognised standard.  This reinforces to their suppliers and customers their commitment to the highest environmental management systems and safe work practices not only within the programmes they design but also within their own organisation. 

The ISO 14001:2004 Standard provided this framework, and in October 2008,   the decision was made to actively pursue certification.

Bruce Emerson, Director of 3R said “A lot of our clients are themselves ISO certified. Obtaining certification ourselves gives these clients comfort that the programmes we manage are being delivered to best practice. It is very important as managers of the various programmes that we operate in a fully compliant manner and are able to show an audit trail that proves this. This is particularly relevant for the triple rinsed agrichemical plastic containers recycled through the Agrecovery programme.

“All staff have been involved in the process from day one and embraced the principles of ISO 14001 within the business, making a firm commitment to working within the framework of the standard and at the same time not allowing the process to change to the culture of our small but expanding company!”

“Right from day one we decided that whilst the goal was ISO14001, we wanted our environmental management system to be practical and logical. Our policies and procedures talk in a language that actual means something to our team so we have made it work for us, not control us.”

For the project team, this was about improving existing policies and developing ‘real’ systems to demonstrate that “we do what we say”.  The product stewardship programmes developed and managed by 3R are also included in this process.

“Even though we already had a lot of good systems in place, implementing ISO14001 made us focus on the detail.  We have fine tuned our documentation systems for both the Paintwise programme and the nationwide rural recycling programme Agrecovery.  We now have well documented procedures and policies that compliment the best practice that we had already been following. 

“Part of our progression to ISO14001 has also required our company to more robustly assess the environmental impact of products and services we purchase and this has now become a more important part of the decision making process with new suppliers.”

By the end of May 2009, less than nine months after the commitment was made to attain ISO 14001 certification, 3R received their TELARC SAI audited registration. 

3R’s auditor, Richard Church, Environmental & Quality Management System Assessor for TELARC SAI, wrote “congratulations on a particularly good outcome for this visit.  We find that very rarely do organisations come through an initial audit with no conditions having been raised and even more rarely that we aren’t in a position to report Recommendations / Opportunities.  This is a testament to the work you have put into developing your environmental management systems but also that this really does reflect the way in which you operate.”

Director Bruce Emerson said “It was fantastic to achieve registration on the first audit.  It really shows that our environmental management system accurately reflects who we are and what we do.  The team worked really hard to achieve this accreditation.  It’s an outstanding result!”

“Going forward we have a robust Environmental Policy in place and can focus on the necessary procedures and specialised policies for any new product stewardship initiative to ensure satisfactory outcomes for both 3R Group and our clients.”